"Cook it our way,اطبخها بالعربي"
“Halabesa” by Ola of Dr Ola's Kitchen "
Recipe or Chickpeas soup , or chickpeas drink or Hummus elsham.
I really don’t know what can I call it exactly ! It’s chickpeas swimming in a delicious spiced soup. You enjoy eating the chickpeas as much as you enjoy drinking its soup. It’s one of the few official winter drinks that are sold in every corner in Egypt specially Cafes , clubs , street carts & of course in every house !
It’s so easy to make , you can add your favourite spices to it , and enjoy your personal taste .
It’s made of dried chickpeas that you have to soak overnight in water ,so as to make it easier in digestion & to take less cooking time. I personally use the precooked chickpeas sold in cans & the outcome is always the same ! using the ready made chickpeas in cans makes it ready in nearly 15 minutes. Just boil in water with tomatoes, onion, garlic, spices and it’s done !
Here’s the very easy recipe that kids too love.
Kids can't resist Halabesa & they are sitting on the couch waiting for me to finish my photos :)
Halabesa :
Ingredients (4-6 persons)
1 can of Chickpeas (500 grams drained weight )
1 liter water
2 Tablespoons Tomato paste (or more according to taste)
1 Onion (finely chopped)
2-3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
1 Teaspoon Cumin
Juice from 2 Lemons (more or less according to taste )
Salt according to taste
Optional: Hot chilly pepper powder
Enough with shooting , now it's our time to eat!
Preparation :
Drain the chickpeas & wash them and add them to a pot filled with the liter of water over high heat.
Add the finely chopped Onion & garlic , and add the Tomato paste and salt & leave to simmer for 10 minutes .
Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice & Cumin powder (and chilly powder) & more salt if needed .
Serve in glass cups & add more lemon juice or cumin to each cup if needed.
** If you will use dried chickpeas , you have to soak them in lots of water overnight (12 hours ) then drain fro water & cook them in water (nearly 10 cm above the chickpeas level ) nearly 40-45 minutes.
Hope you’ve enjoyed those two very easy Egyptian recipes & hope that you can try them ,simply to enjoy their delicious taste :)